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Jonathan Rea Scored Double Win in Assen

Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider Jonathan Rea gave the Dutch fans something to cheer about on Sunday afternoon, as he handed his team a splendid double-win on the Assen circuit in Holland. Rea left nothing to chance in the two races and won each of them more than one second ahead of his nearest rival.

In the first race, Rea managed to hold off James Toseland for the win and managed some great lap times in the closing stages to eventually finish one full second ahead of the Yamaha rider. Aprilia Alitalia's Leon Camier scored his first ever World Superbike podium in career in 3rd place, ahead of Spanish veteran Carlos Checa and BMW's Troy Corser.

Rea's first win on Sunday meant that all WSBK manufacturers with the sole exception of BMW have won at least one race in the 2010 championship.

The second race was much more dramatic, even though Rea managed to cross the finish line almost 2 seconds ahead of championship leader Leon Haslam. The Brit struggled throughout the first race to finish in in 11th place, but managed to overcome his troubles in Race 2, when he managed to finish ahead of the same Toseland.

However, the second 22 laps of action at Assen saw several riders exchanging the race lead (6 competitors), among which we can also include Max Biaggi and Troy Corser.

It has been great and I could not have done this without my team. They gave me a fantastic bike. We changed the balance of the bike for this weekend and made it more comfortable. Both races are probably the smartest races I have ever ridden. I never got frustrated in traffic and when it was time to pull the pin I did. I am really happy with the double. It was a clean sweep, so I am proud as punch and I cannot wait to take this result on. I will savour the moment,” said Rea, who led an all-British podium in both races at Assen.

To come from tenth on the grid to take a second and a third was a great result for the team and myself. It has been coming slowly but it was nice to get two consistent podium results. I said before the season started there could be some British 1-2-3 results, and there are a lot of British riders out there. But we are all running up the front and doing a fantastic job, so we deserve to be there. It is great for the fans in the UK and I am sure we are all looking forward to Silverstone,” added Toseland, who scored his first double-podium finish in the series since his return.

In the overall classification, Haslam extended his points lead to 20 in front of Aprilia's Max Biaggi, while Rea climbed to 3rd place some 18 points further behind.
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